When Memory Doesn't Serve
by arjasmo
Summary: Rose and the Doctor have great memories of their adventures together. But what happens when Rose loses hers? Now Rose has to find her way in a strange place, and what about those flashes of memory when she is being grabbed by a man in a brown jacket? Can her new found family help her, can she help them fight their own vicious foes? Who is this strange man who keeps coming around?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello. This is actually my second story, but I posted initially with RoseWilliams15. I enjoy reviews and update frequently. I hate to wait, shy should you?**

"Miss? Miss are you alright?" the boy prodded at the young woman under the tree with his stick. "Hello, Miss? Can you hear me?" Rose stirred. A wave of nausea hit her as she opened her eyes, the world was spinning. She shut her eyes tightly again. Her head felt like it weighed 100 lbs. Not to mention the headache. The pounding in her head made it difficult even to hear the boy standing next to her. Why was there a boy next to her?

Rose slowly opened her eyes. She glanced around to find she was lying under a tree in the country side. Where? How did she get there? He boy crouched down into her line of sight. "Are you alright? My name is William," his eyes were a vibrant blue. He had messy blonde hair stuffed under a cap. He wore a brown jacket, tan button shirt and brown trousers with big holes in the knees. He couldn't have been more than 6 or 7. He wore a wide grin; he was missing a few teeth. "What's your name Miss? Why are you under this tree?"

Rose went to answer but drew a complete blank. Who was she? She actually had no idea. Where was she? Again there was nothing. "I…I can't remember," she answered. "Where am I?"

"You are on my family's farm!"

She heard his accent and asked, "Are we in England then?"

"Yes mum. How can you not know that? You're not thick are you?"

"Um no," she shook her head, trying to clear it and see if she had a decent thought in there.

"Are you hurt? You look like you are." He had leaned over and was right in her face almost nose to nose with her, looking intently. Someone else used to do that, but whom?

Rose looked down at her clothes. Her jeans were ripped at the knees and she was covered in dirt. The holes had a little blood around them; she leaned down and saw that her knees were skinned. She checked the palms of her hands and they were skinned also. She felt around and noticed several possible bruises and other minor wounds on her arms.

"Why are you dressed that way? Are you with a traveling circus? My father took me to one once and I saw an elephant from Africa!" The boy stood now and his face lit up as he told her all about what he had seen. His enthusiasm and animation tickled her memory of someone else but that too she could not quite grasp. He babbled on about a bear on a giant chain and ladies on horseback. She just sat there transfixed. He obviously had taken an instant like to her, and she to him. He struck her as a boy that was alone a lot but not by choice. She grinned at him and he just smiled and talked faster.

"Come on then!" he grabbed her hand and helped her up. "Let's go see my mum!" She will fix you all up!" He held her hand all the way to his home, providing a continuous monolog about the circus, his chickens, how he hates to get hay in his socks and a wide variety of subjects, Rose was wondering if he would ever come up for air. Her headache cleared somewhat as she walked. She felt comfortable holding William's hand as he pulled her along. Rose spent the walk wracking her brain for something, anything that told her where she was, who she was or why she was here. There just was a giant blank. All she could access was a prickle of fear and panic and possible the feeling that she had been running. From what, though, she did not know.

When the house came into sight he let go and scrambled ahead of her opening and closing fence gates for her as they got closer. They crossed a little brook that ran near the home. It ran more deeply than she expected and William held her hand as she crossed over the slick rocks. They were coming down a hill into a valley. She could see what looked to be a village far below, but they were headed straight for a small farm house.

There was land all around and it looked like there had been some sort of crops at one time. In the center of it all was a home. It was made of wooded planks, single story with a wood shingled roof and a crooked black chimney poking out the top. It had porch that ran the length of the front of the house with a rocking chair and assorted benches and seats that she could see as they drew nearer. The house itself looked old, but well loved. The yard was bare, but tools were placed nicely or propped against the house. There were a couple of small hay stacks and a large woodpile, each piece was split and stacked into orderly cords. Around the back of the house there was a barn, similar in construction to the house, just taller. Fences surrounded the house and barns, indicating that there may be livestock somewhere. Various farming tools were against the barn they looked as if they had not moved in a while, but were clean none the less.

William ran up to the house yelling," Mum, Mummy! MUUUUMMMM!" A woman stepped out of the front door, wiping her hands on her apron." She was moderately tall, blonde hair with streaks of grey pulled into a loose bun on top of her head. She wore a faded flowered dress and boots. Her expression was curious but nice. Her eyes seemed older than her face as if they had seen more than her fair share.

"William, who is your friend?" her voice was kind and soft. Her eyes brightened at the site of the blonde girl standing in front of her.

He blurted out, "Oh she can't remember her name but can I make one for her?" he was literally bouncing with excitement.

"Son, stay calm please. This young lady seems to have been through a lot, let's have her in and talk for a bit. My name is Sarah." She held out a hand to shake and Rose took it. Something about Sarah's name and mannerisms were comforting. Her hands were rough, but gentle. Obviously she worked hard on the land; these were not the hands of a pampered woman. William grabbed Rose's hand again and dragged her into the house.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor stirred and groaned. What happened? He looked around. He was lying on the floor in the console room, but had no memory of getting there. His knees and elbows were sore too, and he had a gigantic headache. He felt the side of his head; he had a large lump above his left ear. "Rose?" he called out. There was no response, just the various whirs and beeps coming from the console. He dragged himself up and stood for a moment holding onto the console waiting for nausea to subside. The console room itself looked fine, no signs of a struggle, everything was in place as it should be. He frantically started to look around for Rose but there was no sign of her. He bolted to the monitor and checked the TARDIS's internal cameras but she was nowhere to be seen. Panic started to rise in his chest. Where can she be? He checked the readouts and found that they had landed in England in 1900. He slowly turned and looked to the front door. It was slightly ajar. He ran down the ramp, flew open the door and stepped out. Maybe Rose was outside checking out their destination. He looked around, ran around the TARDIS, called her name, but all he could hear was a gentle breeze.

Sarah quickly began to work on Rose's wounds. Soon she was all clean and bandaged appropriately. "I suppose I should find you something to wear," she said eyeing Rose's unusual attire. Sarah went to a chest, opened it and began rooting around. Rose surveyed the inside of the house. The room was sparsely furnished and contained two beds, a table with four chairs, and an iron stove and a wash basin. Everything was tidy, but there was not much to be put away. Sarah returned to Rose with a faded linen dress. Rose gratefully took it and held it up. "It's from when I was younger," Sarah explained with a faraway look in her eyes, "I had been using it for spare material for patches and such."

Rose noticed that there were indeed patches of fabric missing from the bottom hem area. "It's lovely Sarah, thank you." Rose took a closer look and found the fabric to be decorated with faded pink rosebuds. Something flashed in her head, a fleeting memory of a brown haired man chasing her, grabbing at her. She shook her head to clear it.

"Are you alright dear?" Sarah looked concerned.

"Yes I'm sorry," Rose could not shake the feeling of panic though.

Sarah started again, "How is it that you don't remember your name? Did something happen to you? You were injured; did you maybe hit your head?"

"Maybe that's it," Rose answered," I had a bad headache when I woke, perhaps someone hit me." She again unconsciously accessed the thought of the man grabbing her. "I imagine my memories will come back with a little time. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"We don't mind a visitor on occasion; I have a habit of picking up strays." Sarah smiled warmly. "You can stay here as long as you need to, I can always use a hand around here. Plus William likes you, and he doesn't like many people. Sometimes I think he can see their souls. If he likes you I know you are good."

Rose looked over to William, who was now sitting on one of the beds. "You can tell good people huh?"

William smiled and said," Bad people have a bad shadow around them. It's easy to tell."

Despite his cryptic answer, William sat there happily. What a strange thing for a little boy to say. Sarah had obviously heard it before, as she had turned and was busying herself in the kitchen area. On second thought, Rose noticed that her shoulders seemed to be up and tight. Maybe her son's off hand description of bad people worried her.

Sarah turned quickly back around and took a deep breath. "So will you be staying with us?" her tone was friendly, but also seemed to be pleading a little.

"I suppose I have nowhere to go until I find out who I am, so yes, I'd love to if you'll have me." This home felt warm and comfortable and inviting.

"Well I suppose we need to think of something to call you, if you will be staying. "

Rose turned to William. "Any ideas over there mister?"

Williams grinned from ear to ear, he loved being included. "Um, let me think a bit." He tapped his head and wiggled his foot. "Oh, I know, how about Violet? She is in one of my books and she has to fight a wolf on her farm and she does and she almost gets bitten and she has to run away and it was a good story! " Rose smiled at his ramblings. Again she had a tickle in the back of her brain. He reminded her of someone.

"Violet," Sarah said slowly, "I like it, and it suits you."

Rose thought for a moment, "I like it too, I like flower names. "

The Doctor was near frantic. He went from room to room looking. Knowing full well that the monitors would have picked her up but he still felt like he needed to look. He was in the library checking in between the stacks of books when something occurred to him. Why had he not looked at the history on the surveillance? All the cameras had limited memory, but memory none the less. He shot into the console room, skidding to a stop and nearly crashing into it. He fiddled with the controls cursing in Gallifreyan when it did not go fast enough for him.

Finally he was able to find and put up footage on the monitor of the console room. He ran it back until he saw himself on the floor and kept running it until another familiar figure appeared. Except, she was running, no, fleeing! What was she running from? He sped up the rewind even more until neither of them showed. He then let it play and watched intently as an image or Rose came on the screen. She seemed to be scared, she kept looking behind her. She sprinted into the console room followed by… him! She tripped on the grating and fell, landing on her hands and knees. He winced at the monitor, thinking that it must have hurt her. She jumped back up and kept moving. The image of him was reaching for her. At one point he managed to grab her sleeve and she snatched something off the console and clobbered him in the head with it. He saw his body crash to the floor. Well at least now he knew where his bruises and head lump came from. The Rose on the screen looked around frantically and finally seemed to notice the doors. She ran to them, flung one open and slipped outside.

Even though he had some answers now, he had even more questions. He had no memory of chasing her, and why would he? He felt very much in his right mind now, though the time before he woke was decidedly fuzzy. He sat down hard on the bench seat, head in his hands. Think! He concentrated hard all he could remember was flashes, not flashes of memory but actual flashes.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Posted two today doe to my busy weekend. I enjoy the reviews to make sure I'm on the right track.**

"I can't wait for you to meet Henry!" William was bouncing again.

Rose had started to help Sarah cook the evening meal. Tonight it was mutton stew, but Rose had not seen any sheep on the farm. She had had a tour earlier that day, compliments of William, and his never-ending monologue. He had dragged her into the barn and showed her the chickens, calling all ten of them by name explaining that they had some who were about to hatch some eggs and some that they used just to get eggs from. He showed her the horse stalls too; explaining that someone named Henry had taken them into town. She was going to ask who Henry was, but William had moved on. He took her to their three cows and he explained how they sold the milk and eggs daily. He also told her that the farm was much larger when he had a father but now it was hard to keep up. He also explained how they used to grow crops and had sold produce, but had a terrible year last year. Finally he told about how his mother may have to go into town for a job because the farm didn't make enough money. Rose listened intently, she would have felt awkward asking Sarah for all the information that William freely provided. She had not asked him to elaborate on where his father was, she figured that William would spill that information when the time came, or she could ask when the time was right.

Rose was just laying out the plates and bowls for dinner when the door opened and a tall, light brown haired young man walked through the door. He had deep brown eyes and an easy smile. He looked like he was about nineteen or twenty. He shot Rose a wide grin at first then promptly looked down at his feet, ears reddening. William hopped up and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "Hi Henry!" he said excitedly," this is Violet! She can't remember who she is!"

Henry smiled a bit at this and now it was Rose's turn to redden.

Henry turned to Rose and held out a hand. "Hi ma'am, I'm Henry." She shook it, having to bend over William, who was still hugging. Henry then extricated himself from the squeeze of the happy child and approached Sarah. "Not the best day at the market… but I hear that the blacksmith is looking for a boy. I think I could maybe do that."

Sarah sighed heavily. "Henry, we have gone over this before. The last boy that the blacksmith had now only has 4 fingers. He is not a cautious man and he only pays peanuts. "

"I want to help. That's all."

"I know."

Henry turned his attentions to Rose. He looked her up and down but not in a bad or judgmental way. He smiled at her warmly again. "Nice dress," he said with an obvious smirk.

"Don't 'cha think?" Rose curtsied. "Sarah is letting me borrow a few things until we can get my mess all sorted. " Sarah had also provided a pair of very worn leather boots that Rose suspected had belonged to the mysteriously absent father. When she thought about it, she must have looked very strange, dress with patches cut out and huge boots. She suddenly became very self-conscious and stepped behind the table.

Dinner was uneventful but in Rose's opinion, lovely. Rose felt comfortable amongst the family. They laughed a lot and told stories. Henry seemed to have a great affection for William, kidding him, laughing at his jokes, but also guiding him and letting him know when he was getting too excited. Sarah obviously enjoyed Henry's presence, talking to him as if he were a partner in the farm. Rose had some questions though. William and Sarah were obviously mother and son, but Henry seemed too old to be Sarah's. Finally, as dinner was winding down, Rose finally broke the subject. "Can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She directed the question initially at Henry, but looked at Sarah also.

Henry was the first to respond, "Go ahead Violet. We don't have any secrets."

"How is everyone related? I mean, you get on as a family, but well…"

Henry grinned," I am kind of adopted. Sarah took me in, what, five years ago?"

Sarah nodded.

Henry continued," My parents had a hard time and I lost my mother. Then my father, erm, took to drinking and my uncle took me in. He was not a nice man, so I ran away and I met Sarah, Richard and William and I just stayed. "

"He was hiding in our barn and my father nearly stabbed him with a pitchfork." William added conversationally.

"William!" Sarah scolded.

"Well he did!" William pouted and Henry put a hand on his little shoulder.

Rose smiled," Oh that would be why you said that about picking up strays." She looked around the table, needing to ask just a little more, but it was a big one. "And who is Richard? Was he your father?" she directed the question at William, as she did she heard a faint intake of air from Sarah, but did not look at her.

"Yes, my father died during a storm when I was 5. I'm 7 now. He rode off the road and crashed our wagon. "

"Oh I'm so sorry." Rose truly felt bad about asking. Sarah sat next to her absolutely silent.

Henry picked up on the awkwardness and quickly chimed in, "So what about you Violet, we are all giving histories. What about you?"

"I think she came from a circus!" William answered with glee.

"William, that is enough!" Sarah admonished. William shrunk in his chair and huffed.

"It's alright," Rose smiled at Sarah and turned to Henry," I really don't know what happened to me. All I remember is waking under a tree and this little rascal poking me with a stick." She poked playfully at William, he grinned broadly back at her. She continued, "I have these images in my head though, I'm running from someone, and I don't recognize where I am. It had strange yellow or orange light all around. He grabs me but that's all I can remember. "

"Maybe you hit your head?" Henry looked concerned and maybe a little possessive. "That happens, you know. It just takes a while for everything to clear up. "

"Yeah," she replied, "maybe it will all come back to me."


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor was on the trail. He watched what would have been hours of surveillance in a matter of minutes on fast forward. Finally he was able to narrow the events down to them going into a store room. Of course he did not have any sort of surveillance in those rooms, as they were so seldom used. He cursed himself for not being more thorough. He jumped up and ran to the room hoping beyond hope that once he got there he would find a clue, or anything really, that would fill in the blanks for him. There was a rush of memories as he stepped into the store room.

"Oh, Rose you will love this game! It's perfect to take on our picnic." He could now see himself saying to her. They had landed and were preparing for a lazy day and a nice picnic. "It's called Jungle Journey, or something like that. It has these great windup animals that roam all over the board. AHA! Found it!" he picked up a large rectangular box and set it on the table, pushing all kinds of other items around. Rose quickly caught one of the displaced treasures as it was pushed off the rack. The Doctor didn't even notice as he had busied himself with playing with the animals. He was using his sonic to do minor repairs in preparation for the big game. Rose looked down on what she had caught. It was white, no, pearlescent and smooth. It looked like a beautiful seashell but was a little chipped around the edges, as if it had had a long life. She looked at it a little closer it was heavier than it looked. Upon closer examination, it was quite colorful, and each color appeared as the turned it in the light. There was a little golden clasp holding it shut. She played with it for a while, but it seemed locked. She figured the doctor could sonic it, she was eager to see what was hidden inside. "Doctor?"

"Hmm?" he didn't look up.

"Can you help me with this?" Just as she said that she was able to finally slide the clasp open.

The Doctor glanced up just in time to see a beautiful golden sphere rise from the shell, hit Rose square in the forehead, which sent her crumpling to the ground.

The Doctor remembered now, he was able to throw up his arm to cover his face as well as dodge to the side, and got glancing blow to the head. "Oooohhhh," he whispered as he picked up the shell that was now lying on the floor. "I remember you. You are a bad little shell!" He slipped the shell into his pocket.

Now the holes were patched. He recalled waking Rose, even though he couldn't quite remember why she had been on the ground. The shell had only been able to erase a couple of minutes of his memory, but it affected her much worse. He felt a sharp pang as he remembered the look of sheer terror she gave him when she finally opened her eyes. He had tried to talk to her, console her, but she bolted. He could only imagine how she felt, waking up in a strange place with a strange man standing over her.

Then came the fatal flaw. He had reached for her, grabbed her, and she fell, most likely hurting herself in the process. Then she hit him, hard. That is where the rest of the fuzziness came from, nothing like a blow to the head to shake things up. Everything was clear now, but the guilt remained. After the shell he been confused, he was acting on instinct. He knew he needed to help Rose, and in doing that he had scared her, and she had run away. It was his urge to protect her, and in doing so he ran her off. Now he had to find her and she could be anywhere.

After dinner the family headed to bed. Rose was a little concerned about the sleeping arrangements but no one else seemed to be. As it turns out, Henry usually slept in a little space in the barn. Sarah and William shared the bigger of the two beds and Rose got her own. Sarah had fairly nice bed clothes to loan Rose so she could change. It had been a long day, they family's warmth had made Rose truly feel at home. She had very little time to worry about her predicament; they made her feel like she was instantly a part of the family. She was perfectly content to stay here until the clouds cleared. In the dark though, her mind started to race. Was she a traveler? Why were her clothes so different from everyone else's? Was she a thief or even worse a prostitute? She thought that these traits would have shown themselves by now. Then there was the fear that was in the back of her mind. She just couldn't quite grasp it all. She slipped into a restless sleep.

There he was, chasing her. His eyes wild and his hair even wilder. He was yelling at her to stop, but his words were garbled. He tried to grab at her and she tripped and landed on her hands and knees. She started to run again, and this time he did grab her. She grabbed anything she could and hit him in the head. She was able to run.

She heard a pounding, louder and louder and yelling. She woke in a cold sweat. Suddenly she realized that the pounding was not in her head, but on the door. She could see Sarah in the dying light of the fire, heading towards the door. Just before she got there she grabbed her shotgun. Rose got up and stood behind Sarah. She had no idea what was happening but by God she was going to stand behind her. Rose shot a look behind her and William was nowhere to he been.

Sarah opened the door a crack and was pushed back. A large man stepped into the doorway. He was over six feet tall. His head barely fit in the doorway. He was otherwise huge also. He must have weight 350lbs. He wore a long coat and heavy boots. That's about all Rose could see of him. The smell however was very strong. He smelt of smoke, alcohol body odor and bad breath. He looked directly at Sarah and bellowed, "Where is my money?"

"Lewis," Sarah spoke with an even tone," You know I have been doing my best to pay you. I've given you almost everything I have. You will get your money. "She stood up so proudly though her head came up to only his mid-chest.

"You need to pay or the price will go up! I have no patience for malcontents!"

His overwhelming odor made Rose's eyes water. She felt the need to back up Sarah. "She told you that the debt would be paid. I trust her. In stepping forward, Rose could see out of the door into the yard. Four other figures loomed in the darkness, they all had flaming torches. She became instantly aware that they could burn this house to the ground in minutes should they want to.

Lewis pushed Sarah aside. His hands were giant, at least twice the size of a normal man. He stepped up to Rose and grabbed the front of her nightshirt, twisting it as he pulled her up to his face. "What do we have here? Sarah do you have a new lost puppy? This one is quite pretty. "Rose was starting to choke, the room started to spin. She took her last scrap of energy and kneed him squarely in the groin. He dropped her and doubled over with a howl. Rose pushed him out the door. Lewis looked up and growled," You have one week Sarah or I take your farm. It's as simple as that. You owe me money and it's time to pay. You give it or I take it." There was jeering from behind him and Rose could see the torches being lifted in the air. Lewis limped off the porch and waved for the others to follow. The other men walked behind him yelling various obscenities and insults. As they passed out of the gate, the last man touched his torch to a small pile of hay, igniting it. Their laughter echoed into the night as they walked away. Rose and Sarah watched until the torch lights disappeared in the distance.

Sarah finally took a deep breath and sagged against the door. She looked utterly defeated. Rose ran into the house and began a frantic search for William. She found him huddled under the bed, in the farthest corner of the house. He was curled up into a ball as small as can be. She was sure he would have melted into the woodwork if he could have. "Come on out, it's safe." Rose reached out, but couldn't touch him.

"He's a bad man, Violet."

"I know William, its safe now."

"He's a really bad man, his shadow is huge." He crawled out slowly.

"I'm sure it is." Rose held out her arms and William climbed into them and hugged her tightly. She turned to Sarah, who had come into the house and settled on a kitchen chair. "Sarah, what exactly was that?"

Sarah drew a long ragged breath. "That was Lewis; he lives over the next hill. I tried to fix the wagon after Richard's accident. It finally fell apart. We need a wagon. We had no wagon after Richard died, and he offered to sell us one. "Her monotone voice chilled Rose to the bone.

Just then Henry peeked through the front door. "Is everybody alright?" He looked pale in the dying light of the fireplace.

"Where were you then?" asked Rose in an accusatory tone.

Henry blanched even more and then just stood there open mouthed. He was working his jaw like he had something to say but words escaped him.

Sarah filled the silence. "Lewis is Henry's uncle. He knows Henry lives here but if he sees him, if Henry would have confronted him, I'm afraid Henry may not live to tell the tale."

Henry hadn't moved save for looking at the floor. Rose could tell that he felt useless to save his little family; the only family that openly loved him and cared about him. Rose let go of the boy still snuggled up to her and stood to hug the bigger boy who looked like he was going to burst into tears. He returned the hug gratefully. "I'm so sorry Henry, I didn't know. I never thought you would abandon this family. I just didn't know all the facts."

Henry pushed her back gently and looked deep into her eyes. "You talk really funny sometimes. " He had broken into a wide grin. Rose returned the smile, noticing giggling behind her from William. The tension had finally broken and Rose was relieved. They talked a bit more, but the tiredness set back in and they all headed for their respective beds. Rose slept harder than before, but images of being grabbed entered her dreams throughout the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Rose helped Sarah prepare a breakfast of oatmeal. William went out to milk cows and collect eggs, then Henry took the wagon into town to sell what they had collected. William had been in the barn sweeping up but came tearing into the house screaming," BADGER! It came after me; I think there is something wrong with it! Its face is all foamy and white. OH NO THE CHICKENS!" He dashed out again. Rose and Sarah stood for a second or two rather startled.

Then in unison they yelled, "WILLIAM NO!"

Rose bolted to the barn followed by Sarah who was carrying a shovel and the shotgun. Rose took the shovel and went to where William was pointing. He had since climbed up onto the rafters of the barn. She approached a pile of hay only to realize that it was heaving up and down and moving slightly. If this badger bit anything or anyone in the barn the rabies would spread. It would kill all the animals as well as the humans. Sarah had leveled the gun at the heap too. Rose put up a hand to Sarah, indicating not to shoot just yet. The other animals were too close and the chance of some of the shot or a ricochet hitting one of them was too great.

The lump moved and shook, revealing a surprisingly large badger that was foaming copiously from the mouth. William squealed and Sarah took an unconscious step back. Rose, however, took a step forward. The badger spat and growled, making little lunges towards her. Then it would get distracted and turn around in place, then face her again. Rose stood with the shovel raised waiting to make her move, or maybe she was waiting for the courage to make the move. Whichever it was she was completely motionless.

She started to murmur to the animal, "Come now, you want to be a good little badger. You don't want to hurt anyone. Really you don't." The animal was advancing now gnashing its teeth and making horrible guttural growls. Suddenly it lunged for Rose's feet. She heard William shriek "VIOLET!" She swung the shovel down and there was a loud "GONG!" and a sickening crack. The badger lay dead on the floor. Rose stood there silent and transfixed. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned expecting to see Sarah behind her but in fact Henry had just joined them. He drew Rose into a tight hug. She sighed a little. After the events of last night and this morning strong arms felt amazing.

She looked up at him. "Wait a minute mister, that's twice now that trouble has come round and you have been gone. "

Henry scoffed in fake disgust. "I have you know, Violet, that I ran over as soon as I heard this little guy shriek. I had just gotten back and was getting ready to unhitch the horses. " He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb up towards the rafters where William was now sitting, kicking his legs and waving. "You are a magnificent girl, dear Violet. But you need to tell me something. "He paused, Rose noticed that he had not let her go yet." How is it that you can't remember your name or anything about yourself but you know what a badger is, that it is rabid, and that you must kill it to save the animals? Not only that, you have such a fight in you. First you stood up to my uncle, and now this. "

"I have no idea." Rose turned a little to look at the dead animal again. Henry released his grip somewhat but still held her.

"We need to get this all cleaned up and make sure that we burn anything that animal touched." Sarah broke through the moment with her statement. Henry let go, turning a little red. He must have noticed that he had held Rose for so long.

They spent the rest of the day shoveling out the barn. It occurred to Rose that they had to waste a lot of hay. The work felt good though, and she had a great time chatting with Henry. He was a very intelligent boy, well maybe he was more like a man. He seemed to be very close in age to her, whatever her age was. He had very little schooling though, but what he lacked in formal education he made up for in practical knowledge. She could tell how much he was thankful for Sarah and how much he adored William. Rose found herself growing more and more fond of him as the day wore on.

The Doctor had been rooting around in the TARDIS for some time. He was looking for pound notes from this time period. "Yes!" he exclaimed to no one in particular, stuffing a wad of them into his pocket. He realized that he may need to pay someone off or pay for information if he found Rose. It was entirely prepared to buy her way out of jail if necessary if he could not break her out immediately. Considering how she was dressed when she left, it was very possible that the locals may misconstrue her intentions.

He started out walking in the direction he assumed was the town. He could smell evidence of civilization anyway. He jogged along a wagon road, taking in the rolling hills and various farm animals. He had stopped briefly to re-tie his trainer when he heard a team of horses and a wagon approaching from behind. He waited patiently on the side of the road for it, hoping that whoever it was could lead him to Rose. As the wagon finally approached, the Doctor finally got a glimpse of the driver and passenger. There was a young man holding the reigns. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. Next to him was seated a slovenly older man who was wearing a nasty sneer.

"Hello!" the doctor called, waving.

The younger man almost seemed as he was going to pass the Doctor up but managed to steer the wagon to a stop just in time to splash the Doctor's feet and pants with mud from a giant puddle. The Doctor growled inwardly but never let his smile fade. The man and his driver looked down upon him and the older one spoke. "Can I help you?" There was no indication in his voice that he actually intended to be helpful.

"Yes hi, my name is…John. I have lost a friend and I was looking for her. I was wondering if maybe you had seen her?"

The older man exchanged a look with the younger and they both grinned nastily. "The names' Lewis, this is Tom." He indicated the other man with t jerk of his head. His yellow teeth showed brightly in the afternoon sun. "So this friend of yours," what does she look like?" Lewis's tone made the doctor uneasy at best. He just exuded dishonesty and sliminess. He also caught a whiff of a strong halitosis. It was obvious that Lewis was not a pleasant man. Still if he had information…

"She is medium height with blonde hair. She answers to Rose, well may be she does and maybe she doesn't, I actually don't know for sure. " He scratched his head realizing that he had no idea what she actually knew or didn't know.

"What kind of friend is this?" Lewis's eyebrows were raised and the Doctor could tell that who he thought Rose was and who Lewis thought she was were two entirely different people. "Tom, you remember that prostitute the Sarah took in?"

"Oh yeah, she was a sight!" Tom gave the Doctor a salacious look and rubbed his hands together while Lewis let out a creepy laugh.

The Doctor felt his anger rising. Redness was creeping up his neck and burning his ears. He knew that Lewis was trying hard to make him angry. Possibly just for sport. "She is not a prostitute." He tried to check his tone, but was unsuccessful and thee words came out clipped.

"Whatever you say, John." The words rolled out of Lewis like heavy black tar. His eyes held no kindness, just the blackness that the Doctor had seen so many times before. They were the eyes of a man who always got what he wanted, no matter who stood in front of him. Others like him were strewn about the universe, usually with bodies scattered at their feet.

Tom whipped the reigns and started the horsed again. Lewis stared at the Doctor as they drove away, finally adding, "You can find your _friend_ at Sarah's house, down the way." He laughed heartily as they pulled away.

The doctor did not move for a minute. That man reeked, not only with odor but with bad intentions. He looked around. The countryside was gorgeous, but something evil lived here too. He needed to find Rose now, more urgently than ever.


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah watched from the porch as Rose and Henry finished cleaning the mess from the badger episode. They had done an excellent job and all traces of the beast were gone. Now they were playing a silly game of tag with a full water bucket. It mostly consisted of one of them hiding behind William and trying to avoid getting splashed. Sarah leaned against the house and sighed. It was so nice to hear happy noises in her yard. She ducked into the house and went to the hiding place she kept under a floorboard in the kitchen. She pulled something out and slipped it into her pocket and joined the others outside. She couldn't help but laugh as she saw Rose (Violet in her eyes) manage to dump the bucket over Henry, who yelped and then ran after William, scooping him up into a big wet hug. "Violet, can you come here please?"

Rose looked up smiling and headed over. The boys had ended up in a muddy wresting match that William seemed to be winning, but most likely Henry was letting him.

"Yes?" said Rose, brushing off her hands on her dress.

"I want you and Henry to do something for me. "

"Of course, anything," Rose was still a bit breathless from the game.

"I would like you and Henry to clean up and head into town to the pub for some dinner. You deserve it." Sarah held out a small pile of folded bills.

"Oh no," Rose breathed, "we can't. You need that money to pay, oh what's his name, Stinky Man. "

Sarah chuckled. "No really, this money won't make a bit of difference overall. You two have done so much for me, I want you to. I won't take no for an answer."

Rose turned to Sarah. "You really don't have to. I mean, you just met me. Why is it that you are so nice? I could have been anything. You still took me in. That's amazing."

"I want to, and you have proved yourself a good person. You are good for William and Henry too. These boys mean everything to me and you have breathed new life into them." They both turned their attention to the boys who now were tossing chunks of dirt and mud at one another.

Rose unconsciously started to chew at her thumb and turned back to Sarah. "How old is Henry exactly?"

Sarah thought for a moment. "I think he must be close to twenty if he is not already. When he came to live with us he was about fifteen or sixteen. Funny, we have never discussed birthdays." Sarah pressed the money into Rose's hand and went back into the house. "Follow me," she said," I may have something else for you to wear into town."

Rose was able to clean herself up nicely and change into a nice pair of black shoes Sarah provided. She even put on some lovely perfume Sarah had let her borrow. Sarah had also pulled out a beautiful purple dress draped in elegant lace. She had sighed a bit when she had set the dress on the bed and for Rose. She watched as Sarah lovingly smoothed out the wrinkles and laid it out. Remnants of days gone by Rose assumed. "Sarah," she started. "I can't. Not just to go out. It's lovely. "

"Violet, no one is going to ever wear this again if you don't. Please, wear it. Can I braid your hair?" Rose nodded. Sarah proceeded to fuss over Rose until it was time to leave. There was something familiar about her loving touch. Rose had a flash of memory, though this one was comforting. A blonde woman, quite different from Sarah, but still loving was fussing over her hair and talking about this and that. The memory made Rose feel warm inside. The flash was only that, a little snippet of a thought, but it left Rose feeling calm and loved. She let her mind wander then, thinking about the possibility of another family out there that was hers. Somehow this did not worry her. It was almost as if she knew that eventually things would set themselves right.

There was a light knock on the front door, then a really loud one, and then whispered admonishment. Rose smiled and guessed this meant the arrival of the boys. Sarah went to get the door. Henry entered and promptly looked as if he had been punched in the stomach. Rose looked amazing. She smiled at him brightly and he turned visibly red and tried his best to smile back, though he looked a little like he was fighting the urge to run.

"Is there something wrong?" Rose looked down at her dress.

"No!" he startled himself a little at his reply, "It's just that…Violet, this is the first time anyone has ever dressed up for me."

"You like it?" Rose gave a little twirl.

"You look like a pretty dancing girl!" William said, hopping from foot to foot. He finally gave in and rushed over to hug her.

Henry approached her and held out his arm. "Shall we?"

"Oh yes, let's go!" Rose looped her arm around his and the headed out.

The Doctor had been jumping fences and walking down hills. He had stumbled a bit trying to cross a little river in the waning light of the day. He finally came upon a little house with smoke coming from the chimney. He was hoping it was the house those men had talked about. He realized that approaching right away and trying to talk to Rose was most likely a bad idea. He would have to take it slow. He wasn't sure how the shell worked and was afraid to just open it for her. He planned to ease into the situation gradually and maybe it wouldn't be a shock to her.

He heard voices below him at the house and rushed to hide behind the nearest bush. Unfortunately it was filled with thorns and he managed to scratch his hands and face in his haste. He cursed in Gallifreyan and then poked his head over the top of it to get a look at the people below. He could see the front door of the house was open and people were milling a bit and talking. A wagon attached to two aging horses had been pulled around. He focused on a handsome couple who were arm in arm and heading towards the wagon. His hearts sank. There she was. Rose was wearing an elegant purple dress and holding tight to the arm of a young man about her age. The young man lifted her effortlessly onto the seat of the wagon then jumped up himself. A young boy danced around, playfully climbing onto the back of the wagon then jumping down when called by a woman the Doctor assumed was his mother.

The man gave the reigns a snap and they were off. How could this have happened so quickly? The Doctor sat down hard, completely mystified. It had only been a day. How could she have made a life for herself so already? He contemplated his situation until he heard the unmistakable sound of the approaching wagon. He quickly crouched behind the bush again, and again cursed the thorns. He was aided by the darkening day but still had to adjust his position around the bush to avoid being seen. It most likely wouldn't have mattered much; Rose was in deep conversation with her new companion. He caught a good view of her as she passed, her hair elegantly braided. He even could smell her unique scent on the wind, with something else... Was she wearing perfume?

The Doctor shook his head a bit at his reaction. She had never been his. Not really. She obviously loved travelling with him and he with her. She had had multiple occasions to leave if she wanted to, but she always stuck with him. He began to doubt the feelings he had that she had been getting closer to him. Still this was not her world and he needed to give her a chance to come back. If she chose to stay it would be her decision. This would not have been the first time a companion had opted to stay somewhere. He could not shake the feeling that he had lost her though. He sighed deeply and hopped the fence onto the road. He gave the wagon an adequate lead and ran after them, keeping a careful distance.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: OOPS! Posted the chapter 7 of another story. My bad! That's what happens when you have too many things going on. Thanks to ThatBigBlueBox for the heads up!**

When they arrived at the pub Henry carefully slid Rose down from the wagon seat and tied the horses. He took her hand a led her into the brightly lit building. Inside there was happy piano music playing and all sorts of townspeople gathered eating, drinking, dancing and talking. Rose instantly smiled and took it all in. This must be the place that everyone went. She could smell delicious food cooking and everyone seemed friendly. She noted right away just how many women greeted Henry, and the stares she got for being with him. He cordially spoke with several of them, receiving several kisses on the cheek and longing looks. Somehow, Rose has stumbled upon the town heart throb.

They found a small table in the back and he ordered two of the local brew for them as well as meals. "Is that all right?" he asked, indicating the order he placed.

"Yes, it's perfect," she smiled a little and tucked the hair behind her ear.

Rose and Henry were deep in conversation when the mysterious man peeked in through the front window. Seeing that she had her back to the door, he slipped in and settled at a table at the opposite side of the pub. There he could sit unnoticed. The Doctor's plan had been simple. Just observe the couple and possibly find a way to approach. Given that Rose's initial response to him back on the TARDIS was fear, the last thing he wanted to do was to scare her any more.

The barmaid came up and offered to bring him a drink and he ordered without looking at her. He was staring across the room. Quite suddenly he realized that leering at a couple may be misconstrued. He sat back and did his best to look casual and blend in. In doing so he captured the attention of several local ladies who he had to kindly shoo off again and again. They had been attracted to the new, good looking and oddly dressed man. His drink came and he took a sip, but didn't really notice the taste. The young man Rose was with looked her age. He also looked very interested in Rose. There was definitely human flirting happening. It was actually happening all around him. Pheromones were thick in the air. He usually could detect Rose's but not in a pub so full of people, most with the same intentions.

Across the pub Rose and the young man had gotten their food. They playfully stole food off each other's plates and laughed. The Doctor felt a pang of, well he wasn't sure. Was it jealousy? It couldn't be. Was it maybe sadness? It was difficult to be sure. He turned his attention to a rowdy group of men that were roughhousing a bit near the center of the pub. They were grabbing after some of the women, fighting on and off with each other, drinking heavily, shouting and making noise. Not surprisingly the Doctor recognized Tom from his encounter on the road before. He frowned disapprovingly. There seemed to always be that sort, everywhere he went. It was a personality trait that spanned galaxies.

He looked back to Rose and her friend. They had their plates cleared away and, much to his chagrin had moved closer to one another. He couldn't help but stare now. The young man leaned in closer, said something in her ear and she grinned. He reached across the table then and gently wiped something off her face by her mouth and his hand lingered. The Doctor's hearts sped up. Why was he having this reaction? He and Rose hadn't been this close; of course they hugged frequently and held hands often. They often found themselves nose to nose over a project but never had they broken that barrier; the barrier that that man was about to cross in a pub full of people. The young man leaned in again and anyone would have been able to see he was going in for a kiss.

The Doctor felt a hand on his shoulder. "Would you like anything else dear?" He again did not look up at the barmaid. Instead he tossed a few bills on the table and all but ran out of the pub. He stood outside breathing deeply in the cool night air. Normally he was in total control emotionally. He was having a terrible time regulating his emotions. This was a very new sensation to him. Honestly he spooked himself a little with his reaction.

While the Doctor worked to compose himself outside Rose could feel Henry leaning in for the kiss. As he got dangerously close she gently put a hand up on his cheek halting his advance. He eyed her curiously and she just said, "Wait."

"Why?"

"Henry, I don't know who I am, and we've only just met. " His face dropped and he pulled back looking a little stung.

Rose continued, speaking quickly to apologize. "It's not that I don't like you. I really do, it's just that we don't know anything about me and I don't want to jump into something without knowing who I am. "

Henry looked a little sad, but nodded in agreement. "Perhaps later?" he asked hopefully.

"Perhaps." Rose smiled at him again and he seemed to recover.

"Well look who we have here," boomed a voice behind Rose. She spun around to see a tall young man, older than Henry, but with an unmistakable resemblance to Lewis. She crinkled her nose, as he also had a similar smell.

"Hello Tom." Henry replied icily.

"Well if it isn't my worthless cousin and his," Tom paused for effect, "prostitute."

Henry stood and came face to face with Tom. "Take that back, she is my friend. I won't have you talking of her like that."

"Oh I'm sorry little cousin, is she your girlfriend then?" Henry visibly reddened but did not answer.

Tom continued, sneering at Henry. "Why are you sitting at the pub when you should be out making money to pay my father? You know, your uncle?" Tom's voice had grown louder and some of his comrades had joined him in circling the table. The noise in the pub quickly hushed as their situation escalated.

The change in the overall mood was so obvious that even the Doctor noticed outside. He looked in through the window now and surveyed the scene. He was considering breaking his silence and heading in to settle things when he saw Rose's friend/date speaking again.

Inside Henry was saying, "Perhaps we should take this outside Tom." This was a different Henry than Rose saw last night in the house. Rose thought that maybe he was bolder because of her. Tom motioned for Henry to take the lead but slammed his shoulder into him as he passed. Henry almost fell but righted himself and headed for the door. Rose followed, giving Tom a wide berth.

The door opened and the Doctor slid into the shadows. This was definitely not the time to jump in. No one knew who he was and he was likely to only exacerbate the situation. He watched the men walk out and several of Tom's comrades go to his wagon that was parked about 100 feet away on the side of the pub and pull out shovels and such.

Tom and Henry were chest to chest having a heated exchange. Tom bumped the smaller man with his chest making him repeatedly stumble, but Henry always steadied himself and stood back up to his cousin. It struck the Doctor that this young man was very brave and very loyal; qualities that he prided himself on. He supposed, rather dejectedly, that if Rose would choose this man he would not blame her. The confrontation was heating up but the Doctor only heard little snippets from his hiding place. "You always were worthless!" and then, "no good" and "weak," all above the din of the gathering crowd. Tom held his hands in fists, as did Henry. The Doctor could tell from the posturing alone that blows were close to being exchanged. He also knew that Tom's men would most likely join the fray, which put Rose and her friend at a distinct disadvantage. He frantically looked around for an opportunity and quickly slid around the back of the pub.

There was a clatter of hooves and sounds of distressed neighs and Tom's team of horses reared and ran off into the night pulling his wagon. Something or someone had spooked them. Tom's men gave chase and ultimately grabbed Tom too, knowing what would happen if they lost the wagon. "This is not over!" Tom snarled at Henry, giving him a right hook to the cheek and sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Rose ran to Henry, grabbing his shoulders but he shook her off. "I'm ok." He stood, brushed off the dirt, gave Rose a sad look and headed to their wagon. She followed closely behind him and the Doctor could tell she was a little embarrassed too. He didn't directly run after them as before. He knew where he was going now and what he had to do.


	8. Chapter 8

The ride back as awkward at best. Rose found herself with nothing to say. Henry was in a bad position and had horrible relatives. She truly felt sorry for him. Finally, after rehearsing hundreds of consoling works she opted for the direct approach. She turned to him and asked, "How did you turn out so normal?"

He sat for a minute and Rose thought that perhaps he did not hear her.

After a few more moments of silence he burst out with a laugh and said, "I have no idea." The tension was broken and they took pot shots at Tom, Lewis and his family for some time. Rose didn't need to know the details but just to let Henry know that he was the good guy and that this branch of the family was not worth his time. "My mother was a good woman, Violet. She was good for my father. When she died he turned into a different man. I was forced on Lewis and his boys. My father was the youngest sibling in the family and heavily favored by their mother, my grandmother. When my father was finally jailed and I had to move out, Lewis took great satisfaction in it."

"Oh that must have been awful!" Rose gasped.

"I spent the time until I ran away mostly hiding in one spot or another. They never seemed to miss me. When they did find me though, it was bad." He was staring straight ahead, jaw fixed.

She scooted a little closer to him. Words escaped her so she settled with companionship.

After returning home Henry went to put up the horses and Rose went to check up on Sarah and William and found them reading by the fire. She filled them in on what happened. Henry came in and told William that some of their eggs are hatching and the little boy bolted out to the door to go watch, leaving Henry with Sarah and Rose to give his side of the story.

They sat at the table and rehashed the events of the night when there was a light rap on the door. They looked at each other puzzled. Lewis never knocked like that. Who else would visit, especially at night? Henry stood and went to the door, opening it a crack. "Can I help you?" A nice looking gentleman stood there. He wore a brown suit with small blue stripes and a wide smile.

"Hello, I saw you at the pub tonight, I was wondering if I could have a brief word with your companion." The voice was pleasant enough sounding, Rose and Sarah were craning their necks to see who it was but could not see him. Henry glanced back to the women, questions heavy on his face. Sarah stepped up, stood behind Henry and looked out the door.

"Can I ask what for?" Sarah was guarded but still had a pleasant face.

"I think I may know her," the Doctor lied.

"It's alright Henry," said Sarah, stepping back to accommodate the door being opened.

Rose had begun chewing at her thumbnail again, her eyes fixed on the door. Henry opened it and the Doctor stepped into the warm light of the house and smiled gently at her.

And Rose shrieked. She stood up so fast that her chair fell and hit the floor. She clambered back and ended bracing herself against the back wall of the house, eyes wild and desperately searching for an escape. "Stay back!" she yelled grabbing a book to hurl at him. He dodged and put up his hands showing that he did not want to hurt her.

Henry ran and stood in front of Rose. "Violet, what's the matter?" he said over his shoulder.

"That man, I remember him. He is in my dreams too, he tried to grab me, and he hurt me!" She was crying now. It struck Henry as odd that the girl who had been so fearless was so terrified.

"Now it's OK, "the Doctor started, "I don't mean any harm. I just want to talk."

"I think you should leave," Sarah set him with an icy glare.

"I…I…" he stammered. He looked bewildered and his jaw went up and down but no sound came out. The last thing he was expecting was for her to react this way.

Henry took two quick steps forward and put a hand on the Doctor's chest. "You. Go. NOW." He applied pressure sufficient enough to make the Doctor take a step back.

"No but…" the Doctor was pleading now," your name is Rose, you are my friend, and we travel together."

Rose had not moved and she still wore an expression of absolute terror. Henry had reached his boiling point. He grabbed the Doctor's shoulders and heaved him out the door. Rose could not see what happened outside, but there was a brief scuffle and the sounds of someone being hit or kicked repeatedly. Then came the sound of someone hitting the ground rather hard. Then Henry's voice, "Get out of here. Don't ever let me see you around here again!" Finally there was the sound of fast footsteps, running away.

Henry came in massaging his knuckles. "He's gone," he said, sitting on one of the beds and pulling Rose to sit next to him. "Now what was that?"

Rose rested her head on his shoulder. She sniffed a little and Sarah handed her a handkerchief. Before she could muster an answer William burst through the door. "What did I miss? I saw Henry fighting!"

"A bad man came after Violet William, we are not sure why." Sarah put her arm around her son.

"What bad man?" he asked looking up at her.

"Why the man in brown of course, I thought you saw him."

"I did, I even saw his face. He's not a bad man though. He's good. He's very good." He spoke with no hesitation at all. He wiggled out of his mother's grasp and crossed over to Rose, squeezing between her and Henry. He hugged her tightly. "You shouldn't be afraid of him."

Rose gave Henry a bewildered look. "Funny thing though," her voice was still cracking a bit, "I think I remember something about that. Rose I mean, but I can't quite get it. It's like it is just beyond my sight, or just out of reach. "


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor looked at himself in the mirror. His face was scraped and had mud caked around his right temple and blood had poured from his nose. He had a split lip too and a growing bruise on his cheek. Everything had stopped bleeding now. He was mad, but only at himself. He should have anticipated that she would not know him. But what sort of reaction was that? Had something else happened that he had not seen on the recording? He had looked at all the available footage. Wait, when he grabbed her, then she fell. If one was to take just that little snippet of time, one could think that he had been indeed trying to hurt her. If that was all she remembered… he was so daft! If she only remembered that incident and maybe a few more of them running for their lives… it would be easy to think that maybe he was after her, or maybe other things were chasing her too.

Her reaction to him had only been natural. It stung though, none the less. He gently washed off the mud and blood. His first inclination was to head to the med-bay and heal all his wounds. On second thought, that may be even more frightening if his face was clear after the beating he had taken. His hand fell to his ribs on the right side. He winced when he touched the large bruise that had formed there. That boy had quite a kick on him. Boy, well he was closer to a man. And Rose, well she was closer to a woman than the girls he had first met. He remembered the look on the man's face as he had started to beat on him. It reminded of him, how he felt when someone, especially Rose, had been hurt. The urge to fight and to protect shone brightly on his face. The Doctor had worn that face many times as he fought for her.

He walked into his bedroom and slumped on the bed, head in his hands. She was slipping away. She had found a life, found a family. She was so vibrant and loving, and she had been instantly accepted and become part of someone else's life. She had become a daughter, a sister and maybe a girlfriend all in the span of two days. He marveled at her and how she could adapt. It was a lovely quality to have. That's how she could travel with him so well, she just would soak up what was happening and jump in. Still she was a daughter to someone else. Maybe not a girlfriend but she was still a companion too. If she opted to stay, that was completely her business. She did, however, love her mother and he could not just leave her without a word. Jackie would kill him; quite literally in fact. She would not be the first companion to decide to leave and live on another world. It was always her decision, but it needed to be an informed decision. Losing her would be horrible, but he would carry on, he always did. He had to get to her, let her know who see was and let her decided who she wanted to be. He took in a sharp breath and got to his feet

Rose slept fitfully again that night. Visions replayed in her mind of the man in the brown suit, grabbing at her. Sometimes he was a wolf in the suit, sometimes he had huge teeth and bit her. She also had images of metal warriors that moved like they were on wheels and shot light out of its arms, metal men who marched in lines, and huge yellowish monsters with babyish faces. At some time during the night William sat on the bed next to her and brought her some water. She is not sure how long he sat there, but in the morning he was next to her, on top of the covers but covered in his own blanket. She woke and added her blanket to his and he snuggled in deeper. She went outside to the porch, wrapping her arms around herself. Sarah was already out there just rocking in her chair.

Rose looked down at her and drew a long breath. "Sarah I am so sorry for all the bad things I brought into your home. "

"Violet, we already had bad things. You just added more spice. "She smiled warmly. "So do you think we should call you Rose? Do you really think that is your name?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't feel wrong. You can call me whatever you want really. Do… do you think William is right? Maybe that man is not bad?"

"William has never been wrong, err, Rose. "

Rose couldn't help herself. "Sarah, I want to be like you. You are the strongest woman I have ever met. If I ever get anywhere near your strength I would be proud."

Sarah blushed a bit. "You already are strong."

"But last night…"

"Everyone gets frightened when confronted with their dreams; you are not the only one. When dreams come true it can be wonderful or horrible. I suppose you already know where yours fits." She sighed. "I suppose I should send William into town to try to sell one of our cows. We have to see if we can get Lewis to let up. Maybe if we make a big payment to him he'll stop for a bit. Henry will have to go to the next town over to sell milk and eggs. They have a nice farmer's market."

"Don't you need those cows so you can sell the milk?"

"Yes but we need to stop being harassed more."

"And me, what can I do?"

"I think I can use a hand with the washing. It will go much faster with two."


	10. Chapter 10

Rose and Sarah were hanging out the wash when William came running up at full speed. Rose was beginning to wonder if the boy had any other speeds between running and standing still.

William was out of breath and trying to speak while gasping for breath. "Mum…I sold the cow… and he gave me… look what I got!" He pulled a wad of money from his pocket and handed it to Sarah.

Sarah's eyes widened and glistened with tears. "Where did you get this?" she croaked. "It's too much for that old cow."

"The man, from last night," he glanced at Rose, who had since put her hand on her mouth," he asked what I was doing and I told him. He asked how much money we needed to make Lewis stop and he just handed me all this! I told him it was a lot but he made me take it. Sorry Mum. "

"No William, you are not in trouble." Sarah counted the money. She closed her eyes and blinked. " It's enough! It's exactly enough. Thank the Lord!" She pulled Rose and William into a hug. "It's over."

The afternoon chores went quickly with Rose helping. William kept playing with the chicks and had named them all, but at the same time he kept forgetting who was who. This made Rose laugh out loud. He agreed that maybe he should wait until they had more distinguishing features. Sarah called them back to the house so they could have an early dinner. Henry was just arriving from the market, where he had had a pretty good day. The mood was light and the table. They laughed and joked. Henry was recommending absurd names for the chicks and William was firing back as best he could. Rose sat back in her chair and sighed. It just felt so right. Still, in the back of her brain she had an itch. Something was missing; something really big.

They cleaned up quickly after, so they could get to Lewis's house before dark. Henry wisely opted to stay back, but William insisted on going. The walk was relatively short but Rose could feel the tension rising from Sarah. They did not talk, even William fell silent, which in Rose's memory, seemed to only happen when he was sleeping.

They finally approached the house. It was not unlike Sarah's but bigger, with a second story, and there was broken junk littering all over the yard and porch. Rose felt William's hand slip into hers. She squeezed it reassuringly. They could hear someone moving around in the house, doors slamming, chairs being slid on the floor etc. Sarah took a deep breath, climbed the stairs to the porch and knocked. Rose went halfway up, as there was too much junk piled up for her to stand next to Sarah. William hid behind Rose. She could tell at one point he seemed to turn around and bend over like he was looking at something a ways away. She poked him and he turned back around. She could still feel the steps moving, like he may be repeatedly turning his head or torso. She poked him again.

Minutes later there was a gruff voice on the other side of the door. "Who's there?" It was Lewis. Rose grimaced, even his voice was repulsive.

"It's me, Sarah, I have come to pay the debt. "

The door creaked open to reveal Lewis in a very dirty shirt and pants smoking a pipe with horrifically smelling tobacco. They all took a small step back from his smell. "Well, well… oh and I see you brought the prostitute, how nice." His bloodshot eyes fixed on Rose. Just him looking at her made her feel dirty. He puffed out a large cloud of smoke that made Sarah cough.

"I have your money Lewis." Sarah stood proudly by the door. He kept his eyes on Rose but held out his hand to Sarah for the money. Sarah plopped it in and he gripped it, making a show of feeling its weight. His eyes turned back to Sarah.

"This is not enough."

"You didn't even count it. It should be sufficient. I checked it myself."

Lewis now fixed his gaze on Sarah and puffed out more of the disgusting smoke. He said simply, "The price went up. I waited too long."

"Lewis be reasonable, we got you the money and-"

"I said the price went up!" He paused. "Double, by next week!"

"NO!" Sarah gasped.

Rose felt William pulling on her arm but she shook him off. "We paid what you wanted, now let Sarah be!" Rose felt her face redden.

"NO, I think I'll take this as a deposit," he stuffed the money in his pocket," and I'll see you again." He nodded at Sarah and positively leered at Rose. "Perhaps your prostitute would like to stay and add you your payment."

William popped out from behind Rose. "Leave her alone!" he screamed, tears running down his cheeks. He turned and pulled Rose from the stairs and Sarah followed. She looked crestfallen. Her head was down and she would not meet Rose's eyes. They walked away defeated. He would never stop. That horrible man had no intention of ever letting Sarah out of her debt. He liked it too much. They could hear Lewis's jeers follow them up the hill when they finally fell silent. William stopped and turned around, while the women kept going. He looked carefully through the darkening evening. He could see Lewis's door was still open, light spilling out and the silhouette of the big man, but now that form had been joined by another. The other one was tall and slim. The big silhouette was backed into the house by the slim one and the door was shut.

Sarah kept her silence throughout the evening. The tension was evident and made everyone jumpy and cranky. Rose asked the boys to leave and to go play with the baby chicks again, leaving her to possibly get through to Sarah.

"Sarah? What are you thinking?" She sidled up to the rocker on the porch that Sarah had been in all evening. "We can still do it. I can get a job or something."

"Rose," she said, finally looking up at her. Her eyes were dull and slightly sunken in. Rose had to force herself not to gasp at the achingly sad features that now faced her. "He will never let go. To him this is fun. Ruining our lives is sport to him. There is too much history. I think it best if I take William and go. Henry can stay and try to sell the farm, but I don't think anyone will buy it. The soil hasn't produced in years and our animals are getting old. "

She and Rose sat in silence for quite a while. Rose had the overwhelming feeling that this was the best thing to help Sarah. Sometime just being there was the best thing. When Sarah did finally speak it startled Rose. "I'm sorry he called you a prostitute."

Rose laughed out loud and could see a smile pulling at Sarah's lips. "I have been called one before, but I don't think it is the truth. All those nasty men." She shivered dramatically. Wait how did she know that? She had a quick vision of a stretched out face and a woman who looked like a tree. There was another man by her, in a leather jacket. She seemed to know him.

Sarah started again," I actually think you did something else. You have a kind soul but can be so fierce. I also think… " She sat up a little straighter and looked Rose in the eye. "I…I think you are not of this world."

"Me? Oh that's silly." Rose almost did not believe it even as it left her mouth.

"Maybe we should talk to that man."

"I'm not sure I really want to. What if he drags me back to the circus or something?'

"Why can you juggle?" Henry and William had joined them again. Henry wore a bright smile and Sarah brightened to match; obviously not wanting to worry the boys, yet.

They went into the house to prepare for sleep, Henry made a nice warm fire and Rose joined him. About 2 seconds after Rose settled next to Henry, William plopped himself in his lap. He was holding a toy that looked like an elephant. "Look! My father gave this to me before he died. It used to walk but I broke it. He got it for me at the circus." The little boy's bluntness made Rose smile. She reached for the toy. As she turned it over in her hands she had another bright flash of memory. It was of the man in the brown suit. He was playing with wind up animals, and smiling at her.

There was a loud bang on the door and the sound of someone stepping off the porch. Rose jumped and Henry dumped William off his lap and ran to the door, ready to fight whatever may be there. He opened it and stood looking out into the yard. The ladies joined him. There, standing in the light shining through the doorway, was Lewis. He looked even more disheveled than before. He was listing slightly to one side. He took a step back with a pronounced limp.

"Your debt …is paid." He practically growled the first two words, then nervously glanced to each side and finished the sentence in a more agreeable tone. He turned and hobbled away, looking repeatedly from side to side. The family stood there dumbfounded. They watched as he left through the gate, closing it carefully behind him. He climbed onto a waiting wagon which Tom was driving. Lewis barely got seated before Tom snapped the reigns and tore out of there.

William pushed through to the porch and turned to face them. "Well I guess the man in the brown suit took care of him!" With that he danced back into the house. The remaining three just stared at each other mystified.


	11. Chapter 11

Rose dreamt again that night. This time she sat at a holiday table with a blonde headed woman and a dark skinned young man. They were laughing and talking. She looked up and there was the man in the brown suit. We grinned at her. Another flash was to him grabbing at her and her tripping and falling. She also dreamt of a blue box and more metal men. Then there was a wolf doing gymnastics. In another she was eating chips with a man in a black leather jacket. Her dreams drifted to women who were cats, the queen, and some scary beings moving in shop windows. Strangely enough, Rose did not wake up scared from her dreams. She slept all night and just observed what was in her head. She got up early and got dressed, ready to go collect the eggs. William, of course, heard her moving about and bounded out with her.

Henry was already up and milking cows. All three had playful banter while they all helped with the animals so that they could go in together to get breakfast. There was a brief hay fight, a runaway chicken and almost spilled milk but Rose was able to corral the boys and focus them on finishing. Together they headed back to eat. They walked into the house, Rose's hands full with a basket of eggs and container of milk, and Henry with William playfully slung over his shoulder. They stopped short. Sitting at the table was the man in the brown suit, having tea with Sarah.

The Doctor stayed in his seat, afraid that standing may be a sign of aggression, which was farthest from what he wanted to portray. Sarah stood quickly and hurried, to Rose, taking the items from her hands. Henry abruptly swung William down and plunked him on the ground. "OW! Hey! "The boy yelled, then turned to face his mother and the other man. "Oh HI!" he gave the Doctor a warm smile and walked over and shook his hand.

Henry took a step forward but Sarah put up a hand to stop him. "Now Henry, it's alright; just listen a minute. This man knows her. " She turned to Rose, who was rooted on the spot, her face expressionless. "Come in and have a seat, Rose. "

Henry and William both turned and looked at her together with the mention of her real name.

"Is it Rose? " Henry asked.

"I…I don't know." Rose answered, looking directly at Henry. He had gotten quite red. She put her hand on his arm. He shook it off initially but then quickly stepped to her side and grabbed her hand. There they both stood, staring at Sarah, neither willing to look at the Doctor.

Sarah spoke again. "Rose, that really is your name, he knows you. He has told me about you and I was right. You aren't from here. Please come sit. He'll explain much better than I."

Rose moved her eyes to the Doctor, still sitting at the table, his hands still around his cup of tea. His face still bore the remnants of his beating from Henry. He had a light bruise on his cheek and a split lip. He smiled at her shyly. It was a warm smile, but not nearly as big as the one he greeted her with when she first remembered meeting him the other day. His eyes were bright, though he had dark circles under them. His hair was tousled but still tidy. He did not move or speak. He was too afraid she would run.

There was a long silence. Everyone was exchanging glances at each other, but no one moved. William spoke first. "Can you people do something? I'm Hungry!" Again his bluntness broke through Rose's walls. She couldn't help but laugh, prompting everyone else to have a giggle. Sarah produced a pan of biscuits and went about preparing the eggs Rose had brought in. Rose went to help her, but Sarah motioned to the table and made her sit. Henry pulled out the chair opposite the Doctor and Rose slid into it, not sliding it back towards the table. Henry stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder.

The Doctor took a minute to fully take in Rose. She looked different. She was a little messier, and had a bit of hay in her hair. She had had a little sun and her cheeks seemed to have more color. She wore a faded dress but still managed to make it look magnificent. Just looking at her made him happy all over. His grin automatically widened. He wanted nothing more than to bring her into a crushing hug and run hand in hand with her back to the TARDIS. Suddenly he felt a bit overwhelmed and put his head down, studying his lap. He did not want to appear over eager. He really was walking a tightrope here. One step in the wrong direction could mean losing her forever. He also was not excited about taking another beating at the hands of the young man standing behind her. He wiggled in his seat and winced again when he remembered his rib bruise. He noticed a little flash of expression cross her face; sympathy maybe? Maybe it was little flash of memory. She had seen him in pain before, emotional and physical. Heaven knows she has had to help put him back together on multiple occasions. She looked at him now, still having an expression of apprehension. It occurred to him that it was better than fright. At this point he would take anything.

The smells of breakfast broke the tension in the room. William danced over to his mother and got plates of food for the table. He then ran outside and brought in a small stool, set it next to the Doctor and sat down without hesitation. He smiled, snagged a biscuit and began to eat. Rose's stomach betrayed her and growled loudly. She scooted her chair in a bit and slowly began to pick at her food. Henry didn't move away, but followed her as her pulled her chair up. His eyes had not left the Doctor.

Sarah joined them, and shot Henry a look and pointed to a chair. "We are all sitting down Henry; we'll eat then sort this all out. Now sit, we are safe." The last bit was an order. Henry glanced at Sarah, and then took his seat. He grabbed a biscuit and ate it, his gaze fixed again on the Doctor.

William started to chatter, as per usual at any meal. He directed his conversation to the Doctor, who was delighted to have something other than Henry's burning eyes and obvious ire to concentrate on. Rose and Henry sat in complete silence, just watching the two interact. William loved the attention and seemed to talk faster. Rose relaxed somewhat with the sound of his ramblings. They seemed so familiar. Was it because the child had endeared himself to her in such a little time?

Sarah did not force any conversation; instead opting to let the situation play out. She switched from looking at her son to Rose and Henry then back to the man. William was so comfortable and this was beginning to spread. Everyone was calmer just watching the interaction.

Rose breathed a little deeper. Breakfast had helped her with her nerves, though she ate very little. She looked to the man again. He had such a gentle manner with William, who was excitedly telling him about the baby chicks and one he named Fred and that he didn't care if it were a hen or a rooster. The man asked clarifying questions of William, who answered enthusiastically. All at once William exclaimed "Oh! I have something to show you!"

He jumped up and ran to his bed, digging under it. Rose started to ask him what he was doing but held off. He came out with his windup elephant toy. Why on Earth would he bring this out now? It seemed like such a random thing. He handed it to the Doctor. "It's broken," was all he said by way of explanation.

"Well let's see then," the Doctor examined the toy thoughtfully. He started to reach for his pocket but Henry grabbed at is arm quickly and the two locked eyes.

"I'm only going for my glasses- see?" the Doctor slowly pulled out a pair of brown glasses and showed Henry, who removed his hand. The Doctor looked closely at the toy, turning it slowly in his hands. He turned the windup key and poked at it until he could pop it open. He started to reach for his pocket again but stopped, looking at Henry again. "I'm just reaching for my, uh…screwdriver." He moved carefully towards his pocket and produced a cylindrical device with a blue tip. "This makes a bit of a funny noise but it is completely harmless." He held it up for all to see. Rose had a spark of recognition and the Doctor looked up just in time and thought he saw the slightest hint of a smile. He pointed the sonic at the elephant and soon the buzzing sound filled the house. Henry sat as far back in his chair as he could get, while Rose and Sarah leaned closer. William practically climbed up the Doctor, ultimately ending up on his lap.

"William…"Sarah started, ready to chastise the boy for being over-enthusiastic.

"No Sarah, really he's fine." The Doctor snapped the elephant back together and twisted the key a few times. The elephant walked across the table. William let out a triumphant whoop, grabbed the elephant, and hugged the Doctor tightly, eliciting another wince that the Doctor tried unsuccessfully to cover. William hopped down to the floor to play with his toy.

Sarah gathered up the dishes and dumped them into a bucket with wash water and quickly returned to her seat. She set her hands on the table clasped together. She took a breath, looked at everyone in turn and said, "Right, now we have all eaten and settled in, let's begin with introductions.


	12. Chapter 12

"This is Henry, " Sarah began. "He came to live with us a few years back. He tends the animals and the land when we had good soil. "

"He tends me too!" William interjected, making everyone laugh.

"And you have already met William."

"Of course," the Doctor leaned over smiling and tousled the boy's hair.

Sarah continued," We all know Violet is now Rose. So it's your turn."

The Doctor drew a breath. This was always the moment when he contemplated being John. It was easier certain cultures. It avoided confusion usually. In this particular situation he opted to not go with it. Someone in this lot would most likely figure him out. ""I'm the Doctor."

Henry interrupted," You are _A_ Doctor?"

"No I am _THE_ Doctor," he corrected Henry. His tone was light, but Henry still scowled. "It's a name I chose long ago."

"Then what is your occupation?" Henry asked, his tone, unlike the Doctor's was gruff.

"Henry, that is enough." Sarah broke in. She could see that Henry was escalating and was doing her best to keep this civil. "Go ahead…Doctor."

"Thank you Sarah." He now looked directly at Rose, causing her to stir under his gaze. "Rose and I are travelling companions. We have been for over a year. She lives in London, just in another time." He stopped for a moment letting this sink in. "We came here to relax a bit and see the countryside. Something happened inside our, um, vessel and Rose lost her memory. We had been preparing to make a picnic and play some games. "

Rose had been quite still. She was leaning onto the table as she had been when she was watching the Doctor fix the elephant. Her hands were still there, about in the middle. The Doctor wanted so badly to take her hands, to feel her touching him again. He slid his hands within an inch of hers and stopped, being ever so careful not to overstep his bounds. "Are you alright?" he asked her hopefully.

"Yeah" she breathed out as though unintentionally holding her breath. This time she smiled at him. Not the huge smile he was used to, but a little one. It was another step.

"OK, well then. Um, yeah, Rose, we were in a storage room and you found something." He went for his pocket again, eyeing Henry. This time Henry did not try to stop him. He reached in and pulled out the shell and set it on the table "This is it."

"Oh what is that?" William had apparently been paying attention. He nudged his way onto the Doctor's lap again.

"Well, it's a shell, specifically a shell from a beach far, far away. The animals that inhabit them live in a community under the sea. And they speak to each other, oh how should I say this, with their minds. When one dies, sometimes the shells become detached from the communities and float to shore. The locals recognized that if they are opened properly they retain the memories of whomever they were aimed at. Sometimes they affect someone standing too close to that person also. They had been used for centuries, um, hundreds of years by a local population for treatment of mental illness, ah let's call that insanity, or to rehabilitate criminals. The idea was if they could erase whatever caused the trouble they could fix the person. There were problems though. The traits that made the person were still there. If the person had tendencies to steal or cheat they still did, also the shells leaked. They put little golden clasps on them to hold them shut until they were used. "

He pushed his hands ever so much closer to Rose's, almost touching. "Rose, have you been having dreams? "She nodded." How about nightmares?" she nodded again this time a little more strongly.

"She yells at night." William added matter –of-factly.

"That's what I figured." He reached out and took her hands in his. He could see Henry stiffen. Rose, however, did not pull away.

"So can I open the shell and get my memories back?" she was looking at him now.

"Well yes, from the research I've done, it seems like you can. I think we will have to destroy it though and then you will have everything back. They crush easily and I think you just breathe in. "

"You think?" Henry interjected. "What if you think wrong Doctor?" He spat out his name. "What if you get it all wrong and she gets hurt or dies?"

The Doctor turned to Henry," You have to know that I take none of this lightly. She means everything to me and I would die if I hurt her."

"You did hurt her." Henry's eyes fell on the scabs on Rose's hands.

"That was an accident. I was trying to calm her down. We both were affected by the shell. I had no idea what was happening at first, but I just got a glancing blow, she got all of it. Then she hit me in the head and knocked me out. That is why I did not follow her."

There was a moment where no one spoke. Rose's eyes were fixed on the Doctor his were fixed on her hands. He could feel the scabs on her palms.

His hearts sank. This was slipping away from him. She was slipping away. Even as he had the thought, she pulled her hands back. He gulped.

She moved to speak and he closed his eyes, preparing for the blow.

"I want to try."

His eyes shot open. "What?"

She was looking directly into his eyes. She reached forward again and took his hands. "I want to try. Right now I don't know who I am. I feel good and loved, but it feels like there is an empty part of me. Something at the back of my brain needs to know. I was someone's daughter. I need to know."

"Then what Rose?" Henry chimed in. "Do you just leave?"

"I don't know Henry." Tears were forming now, threatening to spill down her cheeks.

Henry turned to the Doctor, "You had to bring this! She was happy! Now you come and throw it all away!"

Rose let out a stifled sob and Sarah slid her chair closer and took her into a hug. William turned on the Doctor's lap to face him. His eyes were sad and longing. The Doctor felt as low as he had ever felt. He was preparing to tear Rose from a family that loved her. How selfish was he? In his mind, she would have happily returned to him and the TARDIS, no harm done. Now he could see that there was harm. William's eyes were like daggers in his hearts.

"I…I…"stammered the Doctor," I had to give her a choice. She can choose to go with me or to stay. But I can't walk away like I didn't know her, like she had no one. We had a life together. Well, when I say that…"

"Were we together?" Rose had tears flowing freely now. Sarah still held her tight.

"No, well I don't think…" he rubbed the back of his neck.

Sarah, who had been quiet since the beginning finally spoke, " Rose, if you had a life, you need to know that. The Doctor is right. You can make up your mind after you know. You can't make a good decision on only what you know now. I can't tell you what to do, but you do have to choose. If you don't want to know your past though, you may be haunted by it. Please know that, no matter what, we are here for you.

William slid off the Doctor's lap and went to hug Rose. She sniffed and Sarah produced a handkerchief. The Doctor sat there, completely still. He had no words left. Henry was not moving either. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Henry turned to the Doctor. "I need to know she will be safe; that this thing can't hurt her. "

"From what I can tell, she should be fine. Of course there always are risks." The Doctor's words were just above a whisper. He looked at Rose then down at the floor.

Rose set her eyes on the utterly defeated man that sat before her. She was no longer afraid of him. His demeanor alone made her comfortable once she had paid attention. William was not afraid either, and that meant the world to her. "Let's start." she said.


	13. Chapter 13

The Doctor led Rose over to one of the beds and had her lie down. He had Sarah and the boys stand outside by a window so they could see in but not have to worry about side effects of the shell.

"Comfy?" he asked looking down at her with a smile.

"Um yeah," she was visibly nervous.

"I'm right here. "

"That might feel more helpful if I know who you were." She looked up at him. She still did not recognize him other than feeling that she may know him from somewhere. It killed him to see the questions that played over her face. It was not lost on him that it was entirely possible that this would not work and she would be lost to him forever.

He pushed on the side of her leg lightly and she scooted over a bit so he could sit on the edge of the bed. He heard a grunt for the other side of the window indicating Henry's displeasure. He took out the shell and held it in the light. Rose just stared, eyes wide. "Alright Rose, her we go. Are you ready?"

"No but I suppose we should go."

He lifted the shell to just above her face. "Now when I break it, inhale deeply." He took his other hand and reached for hers. She let him take it and he was happy to feel that she squeezed it tight. He held his breath and squeezed the shell. It crushed easily, golden sparkles cascading onto her. She drew in a deep breath and the sparkles disappeared into her mouth. It was much less severe than when she had opened it initially. He sat and watched her, not moving, eyes fixed on her face. He was afraid nothing would happen. Her eyes were closed and she laid there not moving. The Doctor could hear voices outside but ignored them.

Rose stirred. Now the Doctor was holding both of her hands. She took in a deep breath and sighed. He leaned in closer. Her eyelids fluttered. She opened them and looked around settling on him. "Doctor?"

"Hello" he broke into a wide smile. She smiled back. Finally it was the smile he knew. She was back. He gathered her into a gentle hug.

"Are you ok?" he gushed, relief rushing over him, releasing her to arm's length.

"I think so. I remember it all now. "

"Your Mum? Mickey?"

"Yes."

"Me?"

"Of course I do, you git."

He hugged her again. The front door creaked open and three faces peered in.

Rose leaned back and sat up properly on the bed. "It's ok, I'm fine," smiling at them.

There was a collective sigh of relief as the others entered. Sarah and William came first, William ran and dove onto the bed and grabbed her into a hug of his own. "You remember me right?"

"William I could never forget you even if I tried."

The Doctor stood and strode to the kitchen area, giving them some space. Henry hung back rubbing his hands together. The Doctor caught his eye, "She's the same person she just remembers more." He spoke in a low tone to Henry alone. Henry looked over at the others, now all seated on the bed then back to the Doctor. His eyes were sunken. He looked defeated and pale. "Go." The Doctor reached over and nudged his shoulder. Henry took small tentative steps and was met by Rose's warm grin. He gained more confidence with each step until her was by her side.

The Doctor slipped outside to give them time together. At this point Rose needed to make a decision. He had done all he could, well maybe not everything. He peeked back into the house then turned and ran towards the TARDIS.

Inside Rose was telling the family all about her life. They sat in rapt attention as she explained about her Mum, where she lived and all about modern London. She was careful to not give out too much information about politics or modern life. She didn't want to scare them. She talked about life with the Doctor too. Just then she looked up and noticed his absence. There was a moment of panic. She had been talking for yours. How long had he been gone? She hoped that her excitement in telling them about her life didn't make him feel left out or worse, that she wanted to leave him.

To her great relief she heard him bounding up the steps moments later. He came bursting through the door with his hands full bags. "Whoa!" William exclaimed, running over to him. "What did you bring?"

"Oh this and that, William there is some more outside on the trolley can you fetch it for me?" the Doctor barely got the works out and William was out the door.

Sarah stood and walked to the Doctor." Doctor why?" she started.

"Sarah, I brought some gifts, payment really." He lowered his voice so that only Sarah could hear. "You took wonderful care of someone very dear to me. I never could fully repay you for what you have done. You are so selfless and kind. Those qualities are rare.

"But you already paid for our wagon," the Doctor gave her a look of mock confusion." What you think we didn't figure that out? William told us."

"He was supposed to keep that a secret." The Doctor had a sly grin and shook his head.

"How did you…get Lewis him to take the payment in full?"

"Really? I must have totally lost my touch in sneaking around."

"William again."

"That boy doesn't miss a trick. Well I just spoke with Lewis and persuaded into thinking that letting you alone would be the best option for him."

"Did this persuasion involve physical violence?"

"On his part yes, but no, I did not hurt him, I just deflected and he incurred any injuries himself. He trips a lot. It's not hard when your yard is so full of junk. "

"But when you go he can start again, right?"

"Nah, he actually seceded that it would be best for him to leave these parts and head for a big city. He should be moving out today. A lovely family bought his ranch. They have 7 year old twin boys."

"All this happened in one day?"

"One day or so…it's best that I just leave it at that. Is that alright?"

Sarah smiled. He was such a strange man and she may never understand his ways. She was just comfortable in knowing that Lewis was not going to be a problem anymore.

William came in with his arms full. "MUM! Look at all this food!" he set the bags on the table.

"Doctor, you shouldn't have. It's too much. "

"I figured that since I was here we should have a feast, of course there are some extra things in there to restock your cabinets. Rose can eat a lot." He felt a slap on his shoulder. Rose and Henry had joined them.

"Oi!" she chided, poking him now in the ribs.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, and then he realized what he had done.

"Are you hurt?" Rose started pulling at his jacket.

He brushed her hands away. "I'm fine, just remnants of Henry's protectiveness." Henry looked promptly at the floor. The Doctor continued," I didn't heal myself like I normally would have, I was afraid if I came back unscathed you would have been more afraid. I couldn't have dealt with that, Rose."

"I'm sorry I hurt you." Henry still was examining his boots.

"I would have expected nothing less." The Doctor gave him a fake punch to the shoulder. "So anyway, if you ladies don't mind I have something to show the men folk. Henry, can you show me your farm tools?"

"Sure, but most of them really don't work. They got rusted when we didn't use them."

"I may be able to help with that. Come with me and grab that crazy boy too. You will need his help."

The boys left for the barn and Rose and Sarah went through all the bags, Rose explaining what things were if they were foreign to Sarah. Then they went about preparing the meal. The Doctor had supplied some sort of beef to roast as well as heaping amounts of vegetables and spices. There also was a curious box that made a humming noise and kept food cold. That was the hardest to explain. Sarah had an ice box but was unable to afford ice lately. She had become adept at only buying what they could consume.


	14. Chapter 14

When dinner was almost ready Rose went to find the boys. They were way out in a field with equipment and horses. Rose had to try a few times, but she was finally able to flag them down, but it still took them about a half hour to get all the way back in. They were obviously very interested in what the Doctor was explaining. It was nice to see that Henry and the Doctor hadn't killed each other, she thought with a laugh.

Dinner was a lovely affair. The boys all ate huge amounts of food. The conversation was lively and fun and everyone helped clean up. Then they made tea and sat by the fire where the Doctor regaled them with tales of his travels, at least watered down versions. William was especially interested. He kept asking for more stories and sat wide eyed throughout and asking questions.

Quite a bit later the Doctor noticed William, who had placed himself on his lap, yawning and getting heavier. It must be quite late by their standards. Rose was still enthusiastically telling a story about how her mother had burned a turkey at Christmas one year. The Doctor picked up William and slid him onto the chair they were occupying then collected the teacups from the others. No one moved when he did, as they were all enthralled in Rose's story. The Doctor stood and watched for a moment. He marveled at the warmth of the family, how open everyone was, and how comfortable it felt being here. No wonder Rose felt at home here.

Suddenly the Doctor felt a great weight in his chest. His hearts sped up and he felt like he would have to gulp for breath. He silently slid out the front door and stood on the porch. He sat with a thud on the nearest bench, head in his hands. Has Rose made a choice? He thought it best just to go back to the TARDIS for now and he stood to leave.

"Doctor?" Rose stood in front of him. He hadn't even heard her approach. Where was his head?

He was aware for the redness that had spread to his ears. He rubbed his neck nervously before drawing a breath to speak. "I'm just…well I…"he stammered, "I was just going to head back to the TARDIS. It's getting late…and everything." He swallowed hard.

"Without me?" she had an air of sadness about her.

"Rose, I…I thought you might have made up your mind. I wasn't going to leave you right now though." She shot him a look. "No really Rose, I wasn't. I just thought maybe if I wasn't here you could make your decision."

"When I told you that I would be with you forever I meant it." She reached for his hands, drawing him close.

A grin grew on his face; a huge one in fact. This one went all the way into his eyes, which shone brightly. He let go of her hands and pulled her into the crushing hug he had been reserving for this moment. His rib bruise screamed at him but he didn't care.

The door cracked open behind him and William peeked out. "What's happening out here?" he asked.

Rose turned, breaking the embrace, but grabbed and held tightly to the Doctor's hands. She led him back into the house and approached the others, who were still seated by the fire.

She addressed Sarah first. "Sarah, you are wonderful, brilliant in fact. I have never met a kinder woman than you and I most likely never will. I'm going to go back with the Doctor, but it's not like I don't want to stay. If I could I would. But I have a mum, and I want to get back to her. I also love to travel with him." She nodded towards the Doctor, who was smiling giddily next to her. Sarah's eyes were quickly filling with tears. Rose let go of the Doctor and went to go hug her.

Meanwhile Henry was edging towards the door. "Not so fast mister!" Rose had looked up from her embrace with Sarah and had locked her eyes on him. She stood and faced him. "Come here, "she motioned towards the kitchen area.

They stood just out of ear shot of the others. On the other side of the room she could hear William pestering the Doctor for another story. Rose put her hands on Henry's shoulders, but he kept his gaze firmly on the ground. "Henry," she started, "you are an amazing guy."

"But not the kind of man you would like to stay with."

"That's where you are wrong, Henry. " She lifted his chin so he would meet her eyes. "You are exactly that kind of man. Had the situation been different... well let's suffice it to say that I would have had to fight off some other women."

"What?" he obviously had no idea what she was getting at.

"Henry, have you not noticed that half the girls in this town melt when you show up? You are a great person, anyone can see that. You are smart too, not book smart, and that is not your fault. You are the kind of smart that makes things happen and people are drawn to you because of it."

"But I'm not for you?"

"No one is for me right now. I mean I am close to the Doctor, and who knows what that may become, but you have to realize that I have another life. I need to lead the life I started. "She leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his cheek. Henry smiled at her, blushing.

"HEY!" William was standing next to her, tugging on her dress. She knelt to face him. He had tears in his eyes.

"And you, little man," she started, "you are the most amazing boy I have ever met. You can see things no one else can. That makes you special. I will miss you so much."

"Will you miss me the most?" Rose let a few tears out and hugged him tightly.

"Yes I will miss you the most." she said, sniffling, and letting out a little laugh.

The Doctor interrupted, helping lighten the mood. "Sarah, the little cold box over there is for you to keep. It is an ice box of sorts, but will only work for a couple of months, but when it finally stops, you can use it to hold food valuables, well anything really. Sarah simply nodded.

"We should go Rose," the Doctor started, "it's late."

Rose reluctantly stood, thought it took a moment because William still held her tight.

William let go and walked to the Doctor, looking up to him, his blue eyes piercing. "Where will you go now?"

The Doctor knelt down to the boy's level. "Well I suppose that's up to Rose here. We travel all over to see things, to help people. Sometimes when we're lucky we meet nice people like you. "

William pondered this a bit then pleaded, "Take me with you? PLEASE?"

Sarah gasped on the other side of the room. The Doctor glanced at her, caught her eyes and smiled.

"William," he began, looking back at the boy, "I would love nothing more than for you to come with me, but I can't."

"Why?"

"Because you are the most important boy ever. "

"I am?"

"Well yes. You are the one who has to take care of everyone and everything. You have your mother, Henry, the chickens, the cows and everything else. Without you how would your mother and Henry manage? Soon you will help run the farm and keep everyone safe. I see great things happening for you, little man. If you come with me I would feel bad because you can't do all those things. "

"Really?"

"Really really. I promise. "

"Well OK, I suppose…" with that the Doctor hugged him, picking him up in the process. William giggled loudly.

Sarah was grinning widely from the back of the room.

They said their goodbyes, each person hugging and sniffling. At last the Doctor took Rose's hand and they headed out. After they had left the yard Rose turned to him. "Do you think they will be OK?"

The Doctor squeezed her hand. "They will be better than good. I didn't want to overload them with things at first. But I still have some surprises for them starting tomorrow. I figured if we weren't there they couldn't say no. "

"You have more?"

"Oh yes! Tomorrow morning promptly at 8 there will be a shipment of sorts. It will be load of hay and animal feed, two young horses and two young cows, 5 turkeys and Hannah."

"What do you mean and Hannah?"

"Oh she's the new farm hand. She's a lovely girl, plus she's hard working and nice."

"Just like that huh? How can they take in a new farm hand? Won't she want payment?"

"Did you? Hannah is a bit of a lost soul like you were. Sarah will take her in just like any other stray. I have a feeling it will all work out fine."

"Do you know something I don't know, Doctor?"

"No!" he mock scoffed. They had arrived back to the TARDIS.

He unlocked the door ushered her inside. She took a deep breath. It was nice to be home again.


	15. Epilogue

**AN: Thanks for reading. I really had fun writing this, and already have more on the way. I'm selfish though, and like to have at least 3/4 of the story written and the last few chapters mapped out before I post. So give me a review and let me know if I am doing this right. Thanks to the lovely RoseWilliams15 for my beta and telling me if I slipped out of character or if there was not enough fluff.**

Rose sat on the jump seat in the console room blankly staring at the monitor. It had been a few days since they left the family behind and frankly, she missed them. The Doctor looked up from the console and came over to hold her hand.

"Do you think they are ok?" she asked, still staring ahead.

The Doctor reached over and took her chin in her hand, her eyes finally meeting his. "Shall we see?"

He jumped over to the monitor and adjusted it, slid on his glasses, then started furiously typing on a keyboard. "Let's see, oh here we go! Well they had a good year for crops, well actually lots of good years. The farm flourished and they became the largest produce farm in the region!

"Really? I thought the soil wasn't producing anymore." Rose examined him closely.

"Well… I may have helped them with some 100 year fertilizer." He looked at her guiltily.

"You cheated!" She was grinning widely.

"Rose I had to. Nothing about them was a fixed point. People like them are rare. It was time for them to get something back."

"Wait, what happens after 100 years?"

"Nothing actually, the land eventually is sold and developed."

"So what happened to them?"

"Um, Sarah lived to a ripe old age of 82!" he was looking back that the screen. "That's amazing for that day and age. Henry married Hannah…" he stopped and looked at her over his glasses for a moment.

"Doctor, you know that I liked Henry, but in a friendly way, that's all."

"I really didn't think anything about it…really." He choked a bit on the last word and Rose could see him blushing but opted not to call him on it, at least not now.

"Go on…" She motioned for him to continue.

He turned back and studied the monitor once more, secretly grateful for the chance to change the subject back. "Henry and Hannah had 8 children, oh my. He ran the farm until he was well into his 60's. "

"And William? What can you find on him?"

The Doctor furrowed his brow a bit and typed more. Finally he stepped back from the monitor and smiled. "Your little friend William went off to school and became an engineer. He is credited with inventing new and improved farm implements and he did very well for himself. He married and had 4 children… um let's see… William JR, Richard," he nodded knowingly at her, " he also had two girls, Violet Rose and Lilly."

The Doctor strode back over to Rose and hopped on the jump seat next to her. "You had a huge effect on them Rose."

"Well so did you." She turned to face him. "Can we go visit my mum?"

"We're already on the way."


End file.
